


Don't be () or it'll swallow you whole

by nestofthorns



Category: Original Work
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-02
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-04-12 14:00:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4481912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nestofthorns/pseuds/nestofthorns





	Don't be () or it'll swallow you whole

I ran as fast as I could and, behind me, I could hear the creatures, whimpering, snarling and panting. As I scrambled up the slope to the house, I glanced over my shoulder and saw their bloody claws darting out of the shadows of the night, towards my unprotected back, to snatch another meal for the night.

The mud dipped under my weight. I yelped as I hurtled forward, careening through the slightly ajar door and skidding to a halt on the doorway, head-first. My cheek scraped against the shoddy boards and my spoils tumbled out of flailing arms. Trembling hands struggled to find terrifyingly absent purchase and my feet kicked air, useless.

The writhing mass was closing in on me. I was prey, I was _intruder_ , they tore into my skin like they did his, fangs sinking into my legs, my _face—gold and silk and china dolls with their unseeing eyes, piled in magnificent towers, draped over mould and rotten wood, perched on top cracked marble, all mine and_ I didn’t have enough, not yet. Those weren’t enough. I couldn’t _die_ here.

A mess of limbs and desperation, and then—then, the door slammed shut.

My limbs were unblemished, free of injuries. They didn’t get me. _Thank god._

I dragged myself to the door in a slow crawl. In here, light chased away the darkness. Brass chandeliers hung and swayed between a lattice of cables holding clumps of bamboo lanterns, illuminating the piles of velvet and silk and gold stacked in the room. Gilt torchères stood in corners, ensuring no shadows crept in. But I had to be sure, so I leaned against the door, listening for heavy grunts and the drag of claws in wood, the silence buzzing as I waited for the _crack_ as wood gave way and—

Nothing. Only silence hung, outside and inside the boundaries of my home. The clock ticked, _one, two; one, two._ I sighed in relief and slumped against the door, shivering as the cold hit me now that the heat of adrenaline was seeping out. The hearth was unlit and littered with cobwebs, lending no warmth to the room. My right cheek stung. The trembling fingers I held to it met frayed skin and splinters, and my hand came away wet and red.

Well. I was safe. I could part away with a little blood and vanity. Better than getting caught and mauled by those horrible creatures, like he had been. Clasping my hands together, I thanked god for my successful escape.

Indeed, better him than me.

With my strength and calm gathered, I picked up the scattered loot: eggs, shed scales and the odd dull gem here and there. The creatures’ eggs and scales were rarities, hunted by many for their exquisite patterns. Many had died to obtain them. _I didn’t_. A smile stretched my face. I laughed.

_One. Two. Tick. Tock._

They would make such a fine addition to my shelves.

_One. Two._

Something thick and oily _slithered_ against my ankles—

Shadows stretched before me, and the monster swallowed me whole.

_._

_._

_Mama and Papa said, “Remember child,_

_Don't be greedy, or it'll swallow you whole."_


End file.
